Safety blasting cartridge



Patented Sept. 13, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATRICK T. MCLAUGHLIN AND WILLIAM ANDERSON, OF'MIAMI, OKLAHOMA.-

SAFETY BLASTING CARTRIDGE.

Application filed October This invention relates to a safety cartridge for dynamite or other high explosive which has to be exploded by a .letonating cap, and particularly to a cartridge so constructed as to permit the read insertion of the cap within the stick of ynamite or other ex sive and the ready insertion of the use therein, the device being so formed that the detonating cap will under no circumstances 10 come in contact with the bore of the hole and, therefore, will not be detonated accidentally.

It is the common practice today in the use of dynamite or other high explosive cartridges, to insert the cartridge within the hole with the detonating cap disposed at that end of the cartridge which is inserted first into the hole, the fuse extending around the side of the cartridge and then out of the 2 hole and the opposite end of the cartridge bein formed with a longitudinally extend ing hole into which the end of a tamping bar may be inserted. In case the stick of dynamite or cartridge containing the pmmary or detonating cap hangs up and the detonating cap pulls out by the friction of the fuse against the wall of the hole 1t is very likely that the loading bar or tampmg bar will accidentally knock thecap a ainst a rock or push it along the side of te wall causing it to ex lode by friction, thus sett ng off the entire c arge and, of course, blowing the operator to ieces. This accident quite often happens. ynamite as commonly used is relatively soft. like putty and it is commonly rolled up in an oiled paper wrapper so that the chance of the detonating ca eing pulled out of the stick is a very goo one.

A further object is to provide a safety cartridge of this character within which the dynamite or other explosive, the cap and the .fuse ma be readily arranged and disposed.-

A sti 1 further object is to provide ade- Vice of this character so constructed that the cartridge may be readily put in place by the use of a tamping bar without any chance of the tamping bar en aging the cap and detonating it and wherdby the cartridge may be readily removed in case of a non-explosion or for any other reason.

Another object is to provide a cartridge of this kind which may be made entirely water-proof, thus eliminating many misfires, saving charges, and avoiding danger.

Other objects have to do with the details 15, 1925. Serial No. 62,582.

of construction and arrangement of parts as Wlll appear more fully hereinafter.

Our invention is illustrated in the accompanylng drawings, wherein Figure 1 1s a longitudinal sectional view through a cartridge constructed in accordance with our invention;

Figure 2 is an end view of the Wooden plug and the adacent end of the cartridge;

F1gures'3 an 4 are fragmentary elevatIOIIS of the like ends of tamping bars used in connection with our invention,

Figure 5 is a fragmentary section through the rear end of the cartridge and showing the rear end crimped;

Figure 6 is a view illustrating the manner in which the stick of explosive is inserted within the case by means of the fuse.

Referring to this drawing, it will be seen that 10 desi ates a shell which may be made of card oard, wood, paper or any other suitable material and which islong enough to contain the stick of dynamite or other explosive and a wooden plug 11. This wooden plug 11 isinserted in and enga ed end of the paper shell. The wooden plug is formed with a longitudinally extending bore 12 which extends from the inner face of the wooden lug at the center thereof l0ngitudinally and outwardly so that the bore merges at the outer end of the plug adjacent the margin thereof. The inner end face of the wooden plug is concave, as at 13, to receive the end of the stick of dynamite 14:. The dynamite stick 14 is hollowed at one end to provide a recess for adetonating cap 15 to which a fuse 16 is connected, this fuse passing throu h the bore 11. The other end of the shell rom the plug 11 may be left open or may be closed by crimping inward the'paper of the shell, as illustrated in Fi ure 5, where the shell is crimped, as at 1%, over a paper wad or disk 18, or the extremity of the cartridge remote from the plug 11 may be covered by a heavy paper cap 19. The end face of the plug 11 at the outer end of the cartridge is formed with a central,

with the paper shell and entirely fills t islongitudinally extending aperture 20 which is preferably tapered at 1ts inner end.

In assembling a cartridge of this character, the fuse 16 is inserted through the bore 12 from the outer end of the cartridge into the interior of the cartridge and through the length of the cartridge, The detonating cap 15'is then crimped on the end of the fuse and inserted in ..the punched end of the stick of dynamite 14. The fuse is now threaded through the o ning 12 and the fuse is pulled or the stick 15 pushed into place within the cartridge shell until the stick of owder rests against the concave rear end 0 the plug 11. The crimped end of the cap 15, it will be understood, cannot pass throughthe fuse passage 12 and this stick of dynamite comes to rest against the end of the wooden plug 11 with the fuse extending out through the inclined passage 12. The end of t e shell is then crimped, as before stated, or

covered with a cap 19, as desired, or left entirely open for dry hole shooting, as desired.

The cartridge may be now inserted within the drill hole by using a wooden tamping bar 21 having atone extremity a copper tip or spike 22 havin a tapered forward end.

This isinserted 1n the hole and will thus 7 support the dynamite cartridge and the cartrl e may be now pushed or tamped into the rill hole. The wooden tamping bar is then withdrawn, the hole closed if necessary,

7 and the cartridge exploded in the ordinary manner. If by any chance the detonating cap 15 is faulty or for any reason the shot should fail and it is desi ed to remove the charge from the hole, a ar like bar 21 but having a screw-threaded tip 23 (see Figure 4) mavbe inserted within the hole 20 and rotated to engage the screw with the wooden plu The cartridge may be then readily wit drawn from the drill hole without any danger.

One of the advantages of this invention resides in the fact that the detonating cap 18 protected from accidental detonation by a three-inch block or plug of wood 11 so that there is no danger of the cap coming in contact with the walls of the drill hole and thus being prematurely exploded either on insert ing the cap into the drill hole or removing the 'captherefrom. Furthermore, this wooden lug 11 provides means whereby the car tri ge may be readily and safely inserted into the drill hole or removed therefrom. While we have referred to the plug Has be.- ing of wood, it obviously might be made of compressed paper or any other suitable material. Preferably the cartridge will be we do not .wish to be limited to t is.

r but If the end of the paper cartridge is crimped, as

made of paraflined pasteboard or pa shown in Figure 5, or a mixed cap is used and passage 12 isgreased or waxed, a wa plug tar-proof cartridge is provided which will many misfires, thus saving powder and avoiding danger. The paper shell is engaged with the wooden plug by gluing the to the shell or b crlmping the paper shel to the plug or y some other means which will permanently engage the plug to the paper shell.

two or more cases, one cartridge at a time on a spike in the end of a tamping bar. The chief danger of this 0 eration comes in loading the primer and it is this primer cartridge which forms the subject matter of the present application. If the blasting cap in this primer cartridge is not properly placed but is so disposed that the end of the ca is very close to the surface of the cartri e, there is danger that friction between t e side of the cartridge and a boulder in the bore hole may explode the cap and there is particular danger that the co per spike in the tamping bar may stri e the cap and thus set off the cartridge prematurely. The safety container or cartridge which we have devised practi cally eliminates these hazards particularly when ammonia dynamite and a number 8 cap is employed as a cartridge of ammonia dynamite is more likely to break or crumble in the loading than is gelatine dynamite. Furthermore the longer shell used with the number 8 cap is more likely to take a diagonal position in the primer than is a shorter cap and is more likely to be struck by the 1. An explosive cartridge of. the character described comprising an outer shell, a relatively long rigid plug disposed in and rmanently engaged with one end of the s ell and having a passage for a fuse, a mass of explosive material disposed within said shell be ind the plug, and a detonating ca disposed in one end of the mass of exp osive material and having a fuse extending out throng: said fuse passage.

2. explosive cartridge of the character tively long rigid plug disposed in and rmanently engaged with one end of the s all and having a passage for a fuse, a mass of explosive material ad'acent the plug end of the cartridge dispose within said shell be hind the p ug, and'a detonatin ca disposed in one end of the mass 0 exp osive 1 described comprising-an outer shell, a relamaterial adjacent the plug end of the cargitudinally to a point adjacent the margin of the plug, the center of the plug at its outer end being provided with a longitudinally extending hole, a mass of explosive material disposed within the shell and against the plug, a cap embedded in said mass adjacent the plug and having a fuse extending from the mass and extending through the passage, and a closure over the opposite extremity of the shell.

4. As an article of manufacture, a cartridge case for high explosives having at one end a solid member inserted in and permanently engaged with the cartridge case, said member being formed with a longitudinally extending hole, opening upon the end of the member and adapted to receive a pin on the end of a tamping bar, the solid member having a fuse, assa e extending longitudinall throu h it an openin upon the intll of t e soli member to one side of said In testimony whereof we hereunto afiix our signatures.

PATRICK 'r. MQLAUGHLIN. WILLIAM ANDERSON. 

